1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the production of epichlorohydrin and dichloropropanol which is an intermediate of epichlorohydrin. Epichlorohydrin is useful as a raw material for the production of various compounds or as a solvent, a raw material for epoxy resins, a raw material for synthetic rubbers, a stabilizer for chlorinated rubbers and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Epichlorohydrin is produced through a step of reacting allyl alcohol with chlorine to produce dichloropropanol and a step for dehydrochlorinating dichloropropanol to produce epichlorohydrin.
The term "dichloropropanol" as used herein refers to 2,3-dichloro-1-propanol, 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol or a mixture thereof.
A process for producing dichloropropanol by reacting allyl alcohol with chlorine is known and described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos. 60-258171 and 62-26243.
In all of these conventional techniques, the reaction is effected in a liquid phase, and allyl alcohol and chlorine are reacted in the presence of hydrochloric acid or hydrogen chloride. However, the use of hydrochloric acid or hydrogen chloride is industrially disadvantageous since a recovery step therefor is necessary or loss of hydrochloric acid or hydrogen chloride is caused at the time of recovery. Furthermore, since the reaction of allyl alcohol with chlorine to produce dichloropropanol is an exothermic reaction, external cooling or the like is necessary in order to obtain dichloropropanol with high efficiency and this causes a loss of energy and the like.
As a conventional technique for chlorination in a gaseous phase, a reaction of ethylene with chlorine is known (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,099,231). However, a method of producing dichloropropanol by reacting allyl alcohol with chlorine in a gaseous phase has not hitherto been reported.